Artemis doctors, CEO booked for ‘negligence’

Gurgaon: Artemis Hospital, its CEO, medical director, medical superintendent and three other doctors of the hospital were booked by Sector 50 police station in Gurgaon on Sunday, based on the complaint of the husband of a patient, who died in the hospital in August last year after undergoing treatment in it for two months.

The FIR was registered after Ashok Makkar, 46, a resident of New Colony in Gurgaon, filed a complaint with the police in connection with the death of his wife Rajni, 45 in the hospital. The case details were forwarded to PGIMS Rohtak, who verified its medico-legal aspects and recommended registration of an FIR, said police.

Artemis Hospital, its CEO Devlina Chakravarty, medical director Manjindir Sandhu, medical superintendent Anjali Kaul, the head of gynaecology Geeta Baruah, head of obstetrics Nidhi Rajotia, and assistant surgeon Paritosh S Gupta, have been booked for causing death by negligence.

Makkar told police his wife Rajni consulted Dr Baruah at the hospital on June 18, 2016, for menstrual bleeding. She was advised hysterectomy, for which she got admitted in the hospital on June 20, 2016. The same day, Dr Baruah and Dr Rajotia operated on her using laparoscopic procedure, which, Makkar was informed, failed. So the doctors removed the uterus by open procedure. When she was moved to the ward the same afternoon, Makkar's wife complained of abdominal pain, which Dr Rajotia said was due to gas, adding it "will become all right on itself". On June 22, Rajni vomited after being given light food. On top of the vomiting, Rajni caught a fever on June 24, for which she was treated and discharged the same day.

When her condition did not improve after taking Rajni home, Makkar's daughter contacted the doctor. Dr Rajotia replied on SMS, asking her mother to be administered Perinorm and Rantac. The next day, Makkar claimed Dr Rajotia did not take the family's calls. When she could finally be contacted, on June 27, she allegedly asked Rajni to be admitted to the hospital again.

A day after she was readmitted, surgeon Dr Paritosh S Gupta was called in. He advised a CT scan, saying Rajni had perforations in her abdomen caused by surgical instruments during the laparoscopic operation, and showed them a video of the abdomen, recommending another surgery to fix the perforations. Makkar was asked to deposit Rs 1,75,000, after he had deposited Rs 1,30,000 on June 22.

After the operation, Makkar told police he was informed two lacerations had been closed during the surgery, but his wife had to be kept in the ICU on ventilator. As his wife's condition continued to deteriorate, on July 7, he was informed by Dr Gupta that the perforations had leaked and had to be closed again. On June 4, she was taken off ventilator and tracheostomy was done for respiration. Her husband said she never gained consciousness after that and died on August 8, 2016.

The official spokesperson of Artemis Hospital, Anil Khetrapal, said, "Rajni was treated as per standard medical care. Known complications arising due to patient-specific factors were dealt with effectively."